Secrets for Healthy Cooking- Don’t Sacrifice Flavor for Nutrients

Many people think that healthy eating is the same thing as tasteless eating, but that’s simply not true. There are ways to get more nutrients and fewer calories while also turning up the taste. You might even be surprised to find that you might like the healthful versions of your favorite foods even more than the typical fatty versions. When you’re armed with a few healthy cooking secrets, it’s easy to be satisfied by your food while still taking in fewer calories and more nutrients. The trick is not to think of it as a punishment, but as a better alternative.

Some of the best healthy cooking secrets allow you to simply tweak some of your favorite recipes by replacing some of the ingredients with more healthful alternatives. For example, you can substitute applesauce for butter or oil in baked goods. Puréed prunes work well as a substitute for butter or oil in recipes that call for chocolate. Instead of sour cream, use low-fat sour cream, yogurt, or low-fat cottage cheese. Replace heavy cream with evaporated milk or low-fat yogurt, or even a mixture of both. You can add fruits and vegetables to baked breads to give them a little more flavor. You can also add oatmeal, wheat germ, or bran flakes to bread to give them a punch of fiber.

Use skim milk instead of whole milk. Substitute two egg whites for a whole egg, or three egg whites for two whole eggs. Fruit and vegetable salsas can pack a punch of flavor on meats and vegetables. Spices can make otherwise bland foods flavorful and delicious. If you can find low-sodium alternatives to seasonings, do it. Reduce sugar in your baked goods (unless you’re using yeast) and replace it with more flour. You can also add spices to get more flavor. These healthy cooking secrets are all great ways to sneak more flavor and nutrients into your diet.

Other healthy cooking secrets have to do with how you cook your food. You can save a lot of calories by preparing your food carefully and taking advantage of all of these tips to make sure that you’re not consuming extra calories by mistake. Trim fat off of meat before you cook it. Before you use broth, store it in the refrigerator and skim off any congealed fat. Cook on non-stick pans and use cooking spray so that you don’t have to use oil or butter.

If you poach foods in water, broth, or wine, you won’t add any extra fat or oil. Steaming your vegetables instead of sautéing them can save a lot of calories. And if you’re going to use oil, just use a few drops instead of a whole tablespoon. Grill or roast meat on a rack so that the fat drips away. By following these healthy cooking secrets, you can enjoy delicious food without taking in any extra calories that you don’t really need. This could be the healthy eating edge that you need in order to stay healthy.